A new and an old manager-free companies

Who’s the Boss? There Isn’t One

By Rachel Emma Silverman

June 19, 2012

BLOG’S INTRO: A recent article on a freedom-based company we know—Gore—and a more recent company—Valve. It’s always interesting to learn about new Freedom Incs. and we hope this WSJ article will inspire some to liberate their own companies—one of the most difficult leader’s tasks, one we tried to help with by writing our book.

Like many tech companies, Valve Corp., a videogame maker in Bellevue, Wash., boasts high-end espresso, free massages and laundry service at its offices.

One thing it doesn’t have: bosses

Valve, whose website says the company has been “boss free” since its founding in 1996, also has no managers or assigned projects. Instead, its 300 employees recruit colleagues to work on projects they think are worthwhile. The company prizes mobility so much that workers’ desks are mounted on wheels, allowing them to scoot around to form work areas as they choose.

Welcome to the bossless company, where the hierarchy is flat, pay is often determined by peers, and the workday is directed by employees themselves.